The Dolphins' defense has looked like an entirely different unit during its four-game win streak

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — By linebacker Jordyn Brooks' estimation, the Miami Dolphins' defensive improvement was only a matter of time.

That unit had a terrible start to the season, giving up 32.3 points and 145 yards rushing per game entering Week 4. There were several reasons for that: Miami was playing with a couple of rookie defensive tackles and several late offseason additions who were still adjusting to a new system.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel stressed the need for patience as that unit worked on building cohesion, and the result has been evident over the past several weeks.

Since Week 10, the Dolphins’ defense has looked like an entirely different group and has powered Miami (6-7) to a four-game winning streak that has helped keep its playoff hopes alive. In Sunday’s 34-10 win over the New York Jets, the Dolphins gave up just 65 yards rushing, had a season-high six sacks, three takeaways and allowed just one third-down conversion in 12 attempts.

“Belief,” said Brooks, who leads the NFL with 142 tackles. “You can say we practice harder, but we always practice hard. We practiced hard when we were losing. I think the guys work hard, so I don’t think any of it is the work, the main focus is belief. Me, myself, it’s something that I pride myself on. It’s belief.”

The Dolphins have allowed just 13.3 points per game during their four-game winning streak, which is the first time in the last 15 seasons that Miami has not surrendered more than 17 points in four straight games. They also have 10 takeaways and a plus-7 turnover margin since Week 10, the best mark in the NFL during that span.

“I think that ratio is so defined by team effort, strain — the simplest things, but the hardest things,” McDaniel said. “And it’s really a collective effort ... I think our play style is leading to the takeaway margin, and we’ll need to continue that to hope to have the same success.”

That has carried the Dolphins even when their passing game has faltered over the past few weeks. After scoring touchdowns on the first three drives Sunday, the Dolphins punted on six of their next seven possessions, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for under 200 yards for the second straight week.

“I’m not surprised with how we’re gelling,” said linebacker Tyrel Dodson, who had an interception on Sunday. “Going to dinner together, carpooling to the team hotel, eating lunch in the cafeteria together. It’s just that camaraderie that makes championship teams. If we continue to do what we’re doing, positive stuff will come to us.”

McDaniel pointed to those player-led team bonding methods as things that have translated to the recent results on the field, especially after bad plays.

“The emotional regulation of the unit,” McDaniel said, “and the ability to handle all the ebbs and flows that come in a football game, I think that’s where you see all the investment from the defensive players really show its face.”

There has been a dramatic improvement in Miami's offensive line play over the course of this season, especially in run blocking. That has contributed to the success in the Dolphins' run-first approach. The Dolphins rushed for 239 yards against the Jets, marking the most since the team ran for 350 yards against Denver on Sept. 24, 2023.

Special teams. The Dolphins allowed Jets receiver Isaiah Williams to return a punt 78 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Sunday's game was the second straight week that Miami's special teams unit gave up a pivotal play — they also allowed the Saints to recover an onside kick in Week 13, which nearly allowed New Orleans to come back and win.

RB Jaylen Wright. After De'Von Achane left with a rib injury in the second quarter on Sunday, Wright stepped in and finished with a career-high 107 yards on 24 carries and his first NFL touchdown.

TE Darren Waller. After recording 10 catches for 117 yards and four touchdowns in his first three games of the season, Waller has been limited to three catches for 60 yards and no scores over the past two games.

Achane's rib injury likely won't cause him to miss time, McDaniel said Monday. Achane was available to return to Sunday's game in an emergency but was held out as a precaution. McDaniel said the running back will receive treatment this week.

192.3 — Miami's rushing average over the past four games, which is the most in the league since Week 10.

The Dolphins travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Miami Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson (25) reacts after intercepting a pass against the New York Jets during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Miami Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson (25) keeps the ball off the turf as he intercepts a pass against the New York Jets during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Miami Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas (26) intercepts a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III (3) at the goal line during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. military says a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran crashed in western Iraq and rescue operations are underway.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and that the other plane landed safely.

Here’s what is known so far about the tanker, which is the fourth publicly acknowledged U.S. aircraft to crash during the war against Iran:

The KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Force aircraft used to refuel other planes in midair, allowing them to travel longer distances and maintain operations longer without landing. The plane is also used to transport wounded personnel during medical evacuations or conduct surveillance missions, according to military experts.

Based on the same design as the Boeing 707 passenger plane, the tanker has been in service for more than 60 years, supporting the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as allied aircraft, according to an Air Force description. The aging plane is set to be phased out as the air force receives a full complement of next-generation KC-46A Pegasus tankers.

Despite upgrades over the years, the KC-135s' age has fueled concern about their reliability and durability.

“The last of these planes were produced in the 1960s,” said Yang Uk, a security expert at South Korea’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies. He added that the transition to the KC-46A has progressed more slowly than expected.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the Air Force last year had 376 KC-135s, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve.

A basic KC-135 crew has three people: a pilot, co-pilot and boom operator. Nurses and medical technicians are added in aeromedical evacuation missions.

Refueling typically happens at the back of the plane, where the boom operator is located. A fuel boom is lowered to connect with fighters, bombers or other aircraft. On many of the planes, the boom operator works lying face down while looking out of a window on the underside of the plane.

Some KC-135s can also refuel planes from pods on their wings. The tankers also have room above the fuel stores to carry cargo or passengers if needed.

Refueling tankers could play an increasingly important role if the Iran war drags on, as U.S. aircraft may need to fly longer missions to pursue Iranian forces retreating deeper into the country, said Yang.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties from the crash in Iraq. A U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the plane was carrying at least five crew members.

A second U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the other plane involved in the incident was also a KC-135. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., wrote on X that the other plane landed safely in Israel.

The U.S. Central Command did not elaborate on the circumstances of the crash, but said it “was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”

Yang said it would be rare for a refueling tanker to be downed by enemy fire because such operations are usually conducted in the rear of combat zones.

The crash came after three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly downed last week by friendly Kuwaiti fire.

KC-135s have been involved in several fatal accidents. The most recent happened on May 3, 2013, when a KC-135R crashed after takeoff south of Chaldovar, Kyrgyzstan while taking part in the war in Afghanistan.

In that crash, the crew experienced problems with the plane’s rudder, according to a U.S. Air Force investigation. While they struggled to stabilize the plane, the tail section broke away and the plane exploded midair, killing all three crewmembers onboard.

The most serious mid-air collision involving the plane happened in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs struck a tanker near Palomares, Spain.

The accident caused the tanker to crash, killing four onboard. The disaster led to an extensive decontamination effort to clean up nuclear material dispersed when conventional explosives in the hydrogen bombs detonated after hitting the ground.

Schreck reported from Bangkok. AP writers Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed.

FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)

FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft performs a flyover during the national anthem before an NCAA college football game between Central Florida and Georgia Tech, Sept. 24, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)